[ SECRET POST #5370 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5370 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.



__________________________________________________



02.



__________________________________________________



03.



__________________________________________________



04.



__________________________________________________



05.



__________________________________________________



06.



__________________________________________________



07.









Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 40 secrets from Secret Submission Post #769.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

03. https://i.imgur.com/8JNR5X5.png

[meadowphoenix]

I think they're much easier to like in media, where you have all of the information, whereas in real life you only have the hope they're not really an ass.

[(Anonymous)]

Lol this is one of my least favorite tropes. I feel like assholes get to be jerks, show that they're not evil and people fawn... I'm just not a fan.

[(Anonymous)]

That's absolutely correct and the very reason why I love this trope. As the secret says, it only works in fiction. An asshole in real life is still an asshole even if they're not evil. An asshole in fiction who shows that they're not an asshole by secretly feeding a stray cat when nobody's looking, or draws the line somewhere and stands up against their actually-evil boss? Amazing. Perfect human being. Marry me.

SA

[(Anonymous)]

* "shows that they're not an asshole" should read "shows that they're not evil"

[(Anonymous)]

This trope only works for me if it's done in really specific stories and in a really specific balance, but when it works it REALLY works.

Like, in media where there's high stakes/dark storylines? Works super well, the character is hardened and jerkified in response to the circumstances they're in and finding the softer center is a glimpse into the character's core personality. In sitcoms or shows where the setting is more mundane? Doesn't work for me unless the narrative clearly wants us to side against that character, which unfortunately usually isn't the case. So Joel from The Last of Us works really well for me while House and Sherlock don't.

Ideally for me, a Jerk with a Heart of Gold character will show actual character development even outside of the relationships that originally made them open up more. I also prefer my jerks to have a strong moral core. The Twelfth Doctor might actually be the ideal Jerk with a Heart of Gold character to me - he starts out as someone who's intensely moral but kind of an asshole about it and gradually develops into a character who has that same intense morality but is also intensely kind. There's still that edge - he's not going to sugarcoat things - but by the end of his run those edges have softened somewhat so that he's less of a casual jerk to people.

Sorry for the wall of text, I have strong opinions about this trope apparently lmao.

[(Anonymous)]

+1, the stakes have to be equivalent to the jerkishness! House and Sherlock are jerks because they can be, Elementary's Sherlock balances it much better.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for sharing! I hadn't thought too much about why this trope or character type bothers me sometimes and not others, but I think you touched on a big factor for me.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh man, you said that better than I could have, but yeah. The jerk part of the equation has to be at least partially justified by the circumstances in order for it to work. Haymitch in Hunger Games works. Sherlock in Sherlock? Just an asshole because he can be. (There's a lot of gray between those two examples.)

There's also a subset of the trope that I like, which is "jerkass according to the narrator, but they're biased." A lot of curmudgeonly characters in family media fall into this category, since they're usually less "assholes" and more "not perpetually happy like everyone else. May have seen some shit."

[(Anonymous)]

I tend to love prickly, arrogant asshole characters, but typically I vastly prefer them in fanon. Canon tends to glorify them very uncritically, and treat them like they're aspirational figures who don't need to grow or change at all. Whereas I love these characters but only if they're secretly utter messes in desperate need of personal growth.

Like I love Sherlock, but only if the narrative recognizes that he's a sad, emotionally stunted asshole who needs a fuckton of character growth (and only if the narrative actually gives him said character growth). I'm not interested in seeing him treated like an aspirational figure.